Cold Doesn’t Stop Fargo Locals From Supporting Law Enforcement

Some Fargo locals decided to skip the game this morning and spend some time with Fargo’s men and women in blue.

On a cold day like this one, it can be hard to get the motivation to get out of the house.

But plenty of people took on the cold to come show their support for Fargo’s police officers at their Cocoa With a Cop event.

“It was fun to get out of the house even on a cold day like today and just be able to be around the community,” said Fargo local, Jamie Zuel.

“This is our opportunity not only to give back to the community, but to build some trust, build a relationship with our community that shows that serve part,” said Lieutenant Bill Ohlfeldt with the Fargo Police Department.

This event is geared towards the whole family.

There’s plenty of entertainment for kids like Christmas movies, drawing competitions, and costumes.

“My favorite part about these events in just the kids,” said Lieutenant Ohlfeldt.  “The kids absolutely love it. You know when I was three or four years old that’s when I had met a police officer and that’s when I kind of shaped what I was going to do when I grew up.”

“Just all the little kids coming out and some are really shy, some are really outgoing. It’s just a great event to be able to speak with little ones,” said Fargo police officer, Jessica Schindeldecker.

This event isn’t only about entertaining the kids though.

It’s also a way for locals to get an opportunity to meet with their law enforcement officers and make a personal connection.

“A lot of times when people see police officers they see the uniform, the see the badge and they don’t see the person and this is an opportunity for us to show, hey this is the person behind the badge,” said Lieutenant Ohlfeldt.

“It’s a very social way where they can come and talk to us about concerns whether it’s in their neighborhood or things that are going on with them or what not,” said Officer Schindeldecker.

“It was kind of cool for my daughters to see the female cop here and help them realize that even young girls can become a hero,” said Zuel.

With all these kids sporting their police costumes, there may be some future Fargo Police officers in the building.

Fargo Police say they hope to hold another event by the end of January.